Chapter 3

My thoughts were wiped clean upon hearing those terrible words. My footsteps turned unsteady for a moment as I staggered backward. When I regained my senses, I followed her as we both made a beeline toward the construction site. However, no matter how hard I searched, Daisy was nowhere to be found. Those bastards! Daisy was only six years old! She was my entire life! Three years ago, when a pair of human traffickers had tried to knock Daisy unconscious with a chloroform-drenched handkerchief with the intention of selling her on the black market, I had rushed forward and stabbed both of them to death. The court had been sympathetic to the reason that led me to commit the crime, so the judge had only sentenced me to a year of probation. I didn't want to tarnish the image Daisy had of me, so I had travelled abroad to join a band of mercenaries. Within three years, I had risen to the position of chief instructor in the group. During the years I spent abroad, I was constantly thinking about Daisy. I spent days and nights dreaming of reuniting with her despite how I was embroiled in vicious battles that often seemed endless. However, I hadn't even gotten a chance to look at her face after returning to Riverville before she was snatched away from under my nose by that group of beasts. I clenched my fists and swore to myself that I would never let anyone harm even a single strand of hair on Daisy's head. In the next second, my phone buzzed. Barry had sent me a video recording of a small child. Although the video was blurry, I instantly recognized the red bracelet circling the child's wrist. I had personally slipped that exact bracelet onto Daisy's wrist in the past. Images of Daisy as she threw herself into my embrace replayed over and over again in my head. All I could think about was her cute and innocent face. I could feel my nails digging into my palm, blood eventually seeping from the broken skin and dripping down my fingers. Barry's pudgy face appeared at the very end of the video. He had a cigar balanced between his lips as he grinned wickedly. "I gave you a chance, but you insisted on opposing me, so you can't blame me for what happens next." I could feel my rationality being buried beneath my burning rage. I was overwhelmed with the desire to rush to wherever the bastard was and end his life with my own hands. In the next second, police sirens began to wail behind me. I tempered my anger when I noticed the officers hurrying over to me and showed them the video Barry had sent me. However, the police only glanced at my phone callously before saying in a troubled voice, "The child's face is not shown in the video, so we cannot confirm that she is your daughter. Besides, you should be aware of how wide Mr. Williams' network is. It'll be extremely difficult to prosecute him." I was stunned as I stared at the officers' helpless faces. It felt as if reality had dealt a powerful slap to my face. I knew that Barry had an influential background, but I didn't expect him to wield such overwhelming authority. It seemed that even the police couldn't do a thing to him. I turned to leave but was stopped in my tracks by the officer's voice. "Don't act rashly. You're no match for someone with Mr. Williams' family background." I froze before turning to glance at him, gritting out my next words. "What would you do if the child in the video was your daughter?" Pity flickered across the officers' faces as they looked at me. "You should seek out Mr. Johnson at the courthouse. He may be your last hope."